Officials and witnesses say a gang of robbers attacked a village in southern Egypt after being surprised by police while trying to steal railroad tracks for scrap metal.

Residents of Sanaa in Kharga oasis 520 kilometers (320 miles) south of Cairo say the gang exchanged fire with police on Monday and took villagers as hostages. One villager was killed during the fighting.

The gang then holed up on a mountaintop where they are now besieged by police, security officials said Tuesday. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to the press.

Much of Egypt has experienced a security vacuum since 2011's mass uprising against longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak.

The clash took place on the same day as a family vendetta in northern Cairo left five dead.

#6
I like the joke of a veteran who decides to visit her grave. When he shows up at the cemetery and asks where it's located, the groundskeeper tells him, "You can't miss it. Just look for the enormous pile of shiat."

#7
Here's an idea for a new TV show: GCB, Good Commie Bitches. Maybe we could get Hanoi Jane to star in it.

But as far as Ms. Fluke goes, if what Rush said was really all that bad she could sue him. Haven't heard of any suits being filed yet. She sought the lime light and she got burned. She found out what it was like for Sarah Palin. What was it that Truman said? If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen. Instead of apologizing, that's what Rush should have said. His advertisers might find that it's better to stick with him than to bail out every time some little sl^t starts crying.

#8
from the same woman that a couple yrs back told us proudly how she "owned her vagina again" or some such non-sense...gee, thanks grandma, that's what I want to hear about, your relationship w/your private parts. You stay classy Jane...

#2
Sierra Vista: the most repressed town I've ever visited/lived in. It exists because of Ft. Huachuca. Hard by the international border and a few paces down the road from Hippyville Bisbee, Arizona. Retired military settle there and (aided by an anxious/willing police dept.) pretend they are living in their native Iowas. Madness squared. A positive point is that most of the retirees carry...and I don't mean machetes.

[Dawn] Justice Anwar Zaher Bajwa of Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered to lodge Rinkal Kumari (a Hindu girl), who has converted to Islam and named as Faryal Bibi at Pannah Shelter home and to produce her before Supreme Court on March 26.

The bench after hearing the preliminary arguments in the petition filed by Raj Kumar against alleged abduction of her niece also ordered the Inspector General of Police Sindh to provide full protection to the girl and keep her in isolation during her stay in the shelter home and no one from either party should be allowed to meet her.

Rasheed A Rizvi Advocate appeared on behalf of the petitioner and referred to an order passed by SC on March 8 for production of the girl before the apex court on March 26.

Rizvi contended that the real question involving in the petition is whether the girl has been kidnapped and forced into conversion and marriage or her such acts were voluntary.

Ghulam Qadir Jatoi, counsel of one of the respondent Naveed Shah said that the girl is adult, therefore she is entitled to her liberties.

The bench in its order observed that "the atmosphere was extremely charged. When the alleged abductee was produced in the court, it appeared that at least score of almost out of control people were present in the court and repeated requests for maintaining order fell on deaf ears. It would not be appropriate at this stage to record her statement and it would be in the fitness of things if she is kept away from both the contending parties."

The petitioner alleged that Rinkal was kidnapped on February 23 while she was returning home from her college in Mirpur Mathelo, district Ghotki.

He maintained that after being kidnapped, she was taken to Bharchundi Shareef (a small village near Mirpur Mathelo and forcefully converted to Islam and then got married with Naveed Shah, a resident of the same area.

He prayed the court to order production of Rinkal Kumari and record her statement to ascertain the facts.

The alleged abductee in her statement before the Judicial Magistrate at Ghotki has denied her abduction and forceful conversion.

[Dawn] Chairman of the Senate Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari on Monday assured the upper house to diligently work for protecting rights of members and strengthening democracy.

In his maiden address to the House as Chairman, Bukhari also assured an enabling environment in the House and sought assistance from the seasoned law makers to run the House according to the Constitution and the rules.

"I assure all the members to continue seeking guidance from the constitution and rules of the House in dispensation of duties impartially and running the proceedings of the House," he said, towards culmination of the inaugural session of the Senate after recent election of 54 Senators to the House.

He thanked President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ..., Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... and the coalition partners in the government to repose confidence in him to get elected as Chairman Senate.

He expressed confidence that election of senior law makers and legal experts to the Senate will help improve performance of the House as well as effective legislation for the welfare of masses.

"Today's Senate is much different from the previous one. Today the Parliament enjoys illusory sovereignty and I need your assistance to ensure that the House is not subservient to the policies of the government," he added.

#3
The Khmer Rouge, who called themselves Maoists, believed that the most important social and political value was equality and that in order to create their new, classless society in which everyone was equal, it was necessary to exterminate anyone who might be smarter, or better educated, or wealthier, or more talented than anyone else.

Change 'exterminate' to 'tax' and it all sounds rather familiar to what a certain party is preaching today.

A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.